From left: Broadways stars Norm Lewis, Jessisa Vosk, and Lea Salonga (AFP)

Actor Angelina Jolie, Broadway star Lea Salonga, and Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim led celebrities who attended a glamorous black-tie dinner that President Joe Biden hosted for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol last Wednesday.

Celebrating the nations' 70-year alliance, Biden said at the start of dinner: "This visit is about reaffirming all that unites our two nations. It’s about a commitment to bear one another’s concerns and listen to each other’s dreams. It allows us to overcome every difficulty with great determination. That allows us to move further and faster in space, cyber, technology, and all areas that matter most to our future.

US President Joe Biden (left) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (AFP)

“To our partnership, to our people, to possibilities, and to the Republic of Korea and the United States will create together. May we do it together for another 170 years," said Biden, in a report by CNN International.

Broadway stars Norm Lewis, Jessica Vosk, and Salonga performed "Somewhere" from "West Side Story" and "American Pie".  Then Biden invited the South Korean leader on stage. Yoon sang the first verse of "American Pie" and the crowd went wild. They gave him a standing ovation.

Angelina Jolie and son Maddox (AFP)

Biden presented Yoon with a guitar autographed by singer Don McLean, also the composer of the 1971 hit song.

Chip and Joanna Gaines (AFP)

Jolie was accompanied by her 21-year-old son Maddox Jolie-Pitt. 

The Oscar-winning actress has a soft spot for South Korea, which she visited in 2019 after she dropped off her son for his freshman year of college at Yonsei University, where he planned to study biochemistry, according to today.com.
 
Other guests include Chip and Joanna Gaines, Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame football, and many more from politics, business, entertainment, and sports.

Lea Salonga (AFP)

Norm Lewis (AFP)

Jessica Vosk (AFP)

Salonga is the first Filipino artist to perform at a formal US reception.

There have only been a few international celebrities who have performed at the White House. They include Usher, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy, Ricky Martin, Regina Belle, B.B. King, and Esperanza Spalding.

Here's a portion of the article written by A.A. Cristi about Salonga for broadwayworld.com:

"Multiple award-winning actress and singer Lea Salonga is renowned across the world for her powerful voice and perfect pitch. She is best known for her Tony Award-winning role in Miss Saigon. In addition to Tony, she has won the Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards, in the field of musical theatre. She was also the first Asian to play Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway, and returned to the beloved show as Fantine in the 2006 revival. Many fans of all ages recognize Lea as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin and Fa Mulan for Mulan and Mulan II. For her portrayal of beloved princesses, the Walt Disney Company bestowed her with the honor of "Disney Legend".

"Lea's 2019 The Human Heart Tour saw sold-out audiences and record-breaking sales across North America and the United Kingdom. On Broadway, Lea most recently starred in the 2018 Broadway revival of Once on This Island as the Goddess of Love, Erzulie. The show's return to the Broadway stage earned a Tony Award for "Best Revival of a Musical" and also garnered Lea and the cast a Grammy nomination for "Best Musical Theater Album."

"In the fall of 2015 Lea began her critically acclaimed run as Kei Kimura in the Broadway production of Allegiance. The musical, inspired and developed by legendary actor George Takei, tells the story of a Japanese American family forced into an internment camp during World War II. Lea garnered a Craig Noel nomination for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical for her performance in the Old Globe production, and can be heard on the show's original cast album. Following this, Lea made a guest appearance on the hit CW television show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

"Lea has toured all over the world, performing sold-out concerts in such locations as the Sydney Opera House, 02 Arena, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Singapore's Esplanade, Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, Hong Kong Cultural Center), Queen Sirikit Convention Center in Bangkok and Carnegie Hall in New York. She was also the first artist to sell out two shows at Brigham Young University's deJong Concert Hall in Provo, Utah since The Kings Singers in 2009."